PHS Pacificare Hlth Sys

* Pharmacy Expert Offers Enrollment Tips and Guidelines CYPRESS, Calif., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. (NYSE:PHS) is offering resources designed to help consumers and health care professionals learn more about the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit and enrollment process. Starting today, Medicare beneficiaries can enroll in a Prescription Solutions from PacifiCare Medicare Part D plan online at http://www.prescriptionsolutions.com/. Prescription Solutions from PacifiCare, the company's Medicare Part D prescription drug program, is helping seniors, caregivers and family members better understand Medicare Part D with enhanced Web-enabled research, comparison and information tools. Also, Dr. Joseph Addiego Jr., PacifiCare's pharmacy expert and vice president, chief medical officer of Prescription Solutions, offers important tips and guidelines aimed at helping seniors, family and caregivers make educated, informed Part D choices. "Seniors are faced with an array of Part D drug insurance coverage options," he said. "Prescription Solutions from PacifiCare's goal is to provide additional information about this important and beneficial new program. We want to do our part to help clarify the benefits of Part D and make the enrollment process easy." Dr. Addiego recommends those interested in obtaining Medicare prescription drug coverage should: * Be Informed -- "As a rule, informed decisions are usually correct decisions," he said. Dr. Addiego encourages people to read as much as they can about the Part D benefit, learn what options are available and what they mean to them personally. Family members, insurance experts and health care professionals can help answer questions and recommend which programs are most clinically and cost beneficial. * Make a List of Prescriptions -- Medicare beneficiaries should make a list of all the medicines they are taking. A list will help them compare their personal prescription drug needs with what various insurance plans are offering. Because many prescriptions have excellent alternatives that are equally as effective, beneficiaries should evaluate each plan's formulary to learn which of their prescriptions have equally effective alternatives that may save them money. In addition, beneficiaries should ask about the availability of generics, as many commonly prescribed brand-name drugs are gaining generic status in 2006. * Turn to Trusted Resources -- Dr. Addiego encourages seniors to turn to trusted professionals and other advisers, including insurance agents who can answer questions and help complete enrollment forms. Friends, family and caregivers can also assist in gathering information about various plans and evaluating the options available. In addition to expert information, PacifiCare also offers its Web-based PacifiCare Personalizer, an easy-to-use research and comparison service available at http://www.prescriptionsolutions.com/. The PacifiCare Personalizer combines select personal information about medications, prescription usage and pharmacy preferences and prepares a personalized evaluation from which beneficiaries can compare their choices for Medicare Part D coverage. PacifiCare Personalizer can show prospective enrollees how to better utilize their benefits and lower their prescription drug costs through such options as home delivery, generic alternatives, lower-cost brand-name alternatives and preferred pharmacies. For those who prefer to talk with a customer service representative, all of these personalized research services on the prescriptionsolutions.com Web site are available by calling Prescription Solutions from PacifiCare toll free at (800) 330-5330. Doctors and pharmacists eager to learn more about Part D can log on to http://www.prescriptionsolutions.com/ and access information that can help them learn more about the Medicare Part D program, educate their patients in better understanding and comparing plans, review current clinical data and prescribing guidelines, and find out about formulary updates and other new developments. About PacifiCare PacifiCare Health Systems is one of the nation's largest consumer health organizations with nearly 3.3 million health plan members and approximately 11.3 million specialty plan members nationwide. PacifiCare offers individuals, employers and Medicare beneficiaries a variety of consumer-driven health care and life insurance products. Today, PacifiCare is the nation's second-largest senior health insurance company with more than 20 years' experience delivering affordable, quality health care coverage to America's seniors. PacifiCare's specialty plan operations include behavioral health and dental and vision, as well as complete pharmacy benefit management with more than a decade of experience specializing in the senior prescription-drug market. More information on PacifiCare Health Systems is available at http://www.pacificare.com/. DATASOURCE: PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. CONTACT: Cheryl Randolph, PHS Media Relations, +1-714-226-3441, , or Dan Miller, PHS Media Relations, +1-714-226-3726, Web site: http://www.pacificare.com/ http://www.prescriptionsolutions.com/

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